The present invention relates to appliance hinge assemblies for operatively connecting an appliance door to an appliance body. Hinge assemblies of the type disclosed herein are often employed in pairs and facilitate movement of the appliance door to and between a fully closed position and a fully opened position. Such hinge assemblies typically comprise a door mounting lever to which the appliance door is connected and biasing means such as a tension or compression spring for biasing the door mounting lever into a first position corresponding to the fully closed position of the associated door. The door mounting lever and door connected thereto are manually movable against the biasing force of the spring from the first position to a second position that corresponds to the fully opened position of the door, at which position the weight of the door is sufficient to resist the biasing force of the spring so that the door remains in the fully opened position without continued application of manual opening force to the door. To provide a partially opened position for the door, such as a “broil” position for an oven door, these hinge assemblies typically comprise a stop member that inhibits movement of a mating glide at a select point which, in turn, inhibits pivoting movement of the door mounting lever under force of the spring toward its first operative position at a desired intermediate position corresponding to the broil position for the door.
In a typical arrangement, the door mounting lever is pivotally connected to a channel, and a glide slides along an inner surface of the channel when the door mounting lever pivots relative to the channel. The stop is typically defined from molded plastic and is connected to the channel at a desired location so that the glide encounters the stop when the door mounting lever is in the desired partially opened (intermediate) position. This conventional design has enjoyed widespread commercial success. On the other hand, it has been deemed desirable to enhance this conventional design by providing a hinge assembly exhibiting smooth operation and increased durability, even when a high force biasing spring is utilized as is becoming increasingly popular for overall hinge and door performance.
More particularly, conventional designs typically require the glide to transition repeatedly from the channel to the stop. This transition can reduce smoothness of hinge operation and can loosen or damage the stop, especially when the stop is made from plastic and/or when high force springs are used in an effort to improve hinge “feel” and performance.
In light of the foregoing deficiencies and others associated with conventional hinge assembly designs, a need has been identified for a hinge assembly having an improved stop that exhibits improved feel, counterbalance and durability.